Conventional Web-based search engines configured to return images in response to search queries typically do so by returning thumbnail or other reduced size images. To view the full size images, the user must select individually the thumbnails and have the browser display the image. Often, these full-size images themselves are only small images or are displayed in connection with other content (e.g., text or other content on Web pages from which the images were extracted). This can be a tedious process which does not provide a fulfilling user experience.
Likewise, Web-based photo albums must often be viewed using small images. While some on-line photo albums provide for slideshow viewing, such slideshows are often less than full-screen and the overall user experience is again less than fully satisfying.